8:1 God was mindful of Noah
and
those animals
and
beasts of the field
with
him in the boat.
So
the Almighty sent a wind
that
swept over the land
and
the waters receded.
8:2 The upwelling from the depths
and
the floodgates of the skies
were
now closed.
And
the rain stopped
falling
from the sky.
8:3 The waters had receded
from
over the land.
After
150 days passed
the
waters had retreated.
8:4 On the 17th day
of
the 7th new moon
the
boat came to a rest
on
the hills of
8:5 The waters continued to retreat
until
the 10th month.
On
the 1st day
of
the 10th new moon
the
hill summits were seen.
8:6 So it came to pass
after
40 days
Noah
opened the window
of
the boat he had made.
8:7 He sent forth a raven,
and
it flew back and forth
until
the water dried up from the land.
8:8 Then he sent forth a dove
to
see if the water receded
from
the surface of the land.
8:9 But the dove found
nothing
to perch on
because
of the water
covering
the land.
So
it returned to Noah
who
was on the boat.
He
reached out his hand
and
pulled the dove inside the boat.
8:10 So he waited
seven
more days
and
again sent the dove
out
from the boat.
8:11 The dove returned to him
in
the evening.
And
in her beak
was
a fresh picked olive leaf.
So
Noah understood
the
waters receded
from
the land.
8:12 He waited 7 days more
then
sent the dove out again.
This
time it did not return.
8:13 By the first day
of
the first new moon
of
the 601st year of Noah
the
water had dried up
from
the land.
Noah
then removed the awning
that
was covering the boat
and
saw that the surface
of
the ground was dry.
8:14 By the 27th day
of
the second new moon
the
land was completely dry.
8:15 Then the Almighty spoke to Noah:
8:16 Come out from the boat
you
and your wife
your
sons and their wives.
8:17 Bring out with you
all
the living creatures:
The
birds and the animals
and
all the crawling creatures
so
they can multiply on the earth
and
be fruitful on it
and
increase in number.
8:18 So Noah came out
with
his wife
his
sons and their wives.
8:19 And the animals
and
crawling creatures
with
the birds
and
everything that moves on land
came
out of the ark
one
species after another.
8:20 Then Noah built an altar
to
Yahweh
and
he made offerings
up
onto the altar.(A)
8:21 Yahweh was pleased
with
the sweetness of the offerings.(A)
He
said:
Even
if the humans
tend
to be self-centered from childhood
the
ground will not be cursed
nor
the creatures wiped out.
8:22 As long as the earth endures
planting
and harvest
cold
and heat
summer
and winter
daytime
and nighttime
will
never cease.
- The Hebrew word עֹלָה
(ʿōlâ) is often translated to burnt offerings but this word refers to
ascending or something that goes up. This would refer to offering
something up to God. (This translation does not agree with the popular
translations describing many offerings to God to be the slaughter of
animals, draining their blood and burning their bodies to please God. The
early translation to the Greek word holokaustos (ὁλόκαυστος) was made in
deference to the ancient Greek practice of offering animals to different
deities. This in turn was translated into the Latin word holocaustum
meaning holocaust, which was translated to burnt offerings in English. A
confluence of societal forces came together to enforce such a recording
and translation in lieu of the original oral tradition of these texts.
